The Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of some 981 different texts discovered between 1946 and 1956 in eleven caves in the immediate vicinity of the ancient settlement at KhirbetQumran in the West Bank. The texts are of great historical, religious, and linguistic significance because they include the second oldest known surviving manuscripts of works later included in the Hebrew Bible. They also include scrolls that go beyond what is found in the Bible.

Some of the Scrolls where preserved by the dry, arid and low humidity conditions in the areas where they were found. The low airflow in the cave also helped with the preservation. The lack of use of tanning materials on the parchment and that some of the Scrolls where placed in clay jars further helped preserve the scrolls.